(Grand Rapids, OH) FreshWater Accountability Project (FWAP) filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue Patriot Energy Partners of Lisbon, Ohio, for repeated violations of permitted discharges under the federal Clean Water Act.

On December 2, 2016, Lea Harper, Managing Director of FreshWater Accountability Project, along with other Ohioans traveled to Washington DC to testify against the abuses of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The FERC regularly tramples people’s human, civil and property rights by allowing the unfettered expansion of the fossil fuel industry,...

Grand Rapids, OH – More than 180 organizations representing communities across America called on leaders in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee to hold congressional hearings into the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) extensive history of bias and abuse. The groups are also requesting reform of the Natural Gas Act, which the groups say, gives too much power to FERC and too little to state and local officials.

As the unconventional shale gas drilling (fracking) industry continues to expand in Ohio with what critics call inadequate regulation, directly impacted communities are seeking answers and assistance from legislators and regulators to protect their communities. To further those efforts, the FreshWater Accountability Project (FWAP) sponsored a conference on Tuesday, May 17, at the Ohio Statehouse Atrium to urge Ohio legislators and regulators to learn the from several expert presenters the environmental and public health impacts of its rapid deployment, infrastructure buildout and waste stream disposal

I offer the following comments on behalf of the FreshWater Accountability Project (FWAP). We comment upon the proposed “general permit” regulations for compressor equipment and facilities related to the natural gas pipeline industry. FWAP asks that you do not finalize these proposed permits, as they will have a tremendously negative effect on public health and the environment. On a micro scale, compressor stations are terrible for communities and cause a plethora of health problems. On a macro scale and in light of the recent Paris Climate Treaty, streamlining these stations will help to further the proliferation of greenhouse gases and add to global warming.

An important one-day conference for legislators, regulators, and the public to learn about environmental and health impacts from unconventional shale drilling and what can be done to protect communities and Ohio’s economic and environmental future.